Cultural Competency for the Health Professional reviews the importance of the implementation of cultural competency by allied health professionals, and the process of assessment, training, and evaluation. It includes a clear and concise overview of the necessary tools to apply cultural competency processes as well as systematic and disciplined approaches to the process of achieving it. Also addressed are the reservations that may exist in various health professions with interests in moving in the direction of cultural competency, such as associated costs and limited time. Cultural Competency for the Health Professional provides health professions students with key cultural competency information and practical insight into how to apply this knowledge in their day-to-day work environments as they deal with patients on a clinical basis.

Chapter 10 includes an interview between the author and Dr. Shalala. Read an excerpt,

Dr. Rose: In general, what is your perspective regarding healthcare reform given the rapidly changing demographics in the U.S.?Dr. Shalala: I don’t think there is a lot of reform in health care reform. What I do think is that it is a substantial increase in coverage. We’re going to get close to most Americans having health insurance. So this bill is very much about coverage. So the people who don’t currently have coverage are working class. That involves large numbers of minorities, African Americans and Hispanics in particular, who tend to work hourly and often more than one part time job but they are working. So 80% of the people who don’t have health insurance at this moment in time are working or they are families of the workers.Dr. Rose: So essentially what you are saying is the fact that our demographics are changing. This new concept has emerged-- emerging majorities rather than minorities--in fact the term minorities might become obsolete.Dr. Shalala: That’s absolutely true. So that means that health care has to change along with it. Both who provides the healthcare and how they provide it.